"And the CASSIE goes to?Morty from MTS!"

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

"And the CASSIE goes to?Morty from MTS!"10:14 EST Tuesday, January 29, 2013MTS and DARE receive two silver medals at annual awards recognizing excellence in advertisingStock Symbol: MBTWINNIPEG, Jan. 29, 2013 /CNW/ - MTS's animated spokesperson Morty and his animal cohorts brought home two silver medals for MTS and its advertising agency DARE at last night's Canadian Advertising Success Stories (CASSIES) awards gala in Toronto."Morty is a great spokesperson for MTS, and Manitobans can look forward to enjoying his dry humour for some time to come," said Stan Kurtas, MTS VP of Marketing. "I'm proud of the work the MTS advertising team and DARE have done, and we're pleased to be recognized at the CASSIES awards."Taking silver in the "Off to a Good Start" category and the "Best Integrated Campaign" category, the CASSIES awards recognize the strengths and effectiveness of MTS's new brand platform. Launched in 2011, the MTS advertising campaign featuring the animated bison Morty and his prairie friends has been popular among Manitobans of all ages. These characters have appeared in numerous TV, print, radio and direct mail advertisements for several MTS services including MyBundle®, MTS Ultimate TV™, and the MTS 4G HSPA+ and 4G LTE wireless networks.The "Off to a Good Start" category recognizes new advertising campaigns that have generated positive business results for over six consecutive months. In order for campaigns to be considered in the "Best Integrated Campaign" category, they must have at least three separate channels of communication, i.e., TV or radio commercials, print advertising, direct mail, etc. The award is based on a case study submission outlining proven business results.Jonathan Longworth, DARE's VP Client Integration, says "Morty 2.0 was the perfect evolution to a character that Manitobans have long connected with. We wanted to bring back the much-loved bison's wit, friendliness and likability - but built for the new world of technology, which is in many ways symbolic of MTS itself. We have a passionate team working on this campaign and we're thrilled with both the business success, and now the awards too."Presented by the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA), the Association des agences de Publicité du Québec (AAPQ), and Association des professionnels de la communication et du marketing (APCM) and produced by strategy magazine, the annual CASSIES awards are dedicated to recognizing, rewarding and improving the business effectiveness of advertising.About MTSMTS is the leading full-service communications provider for residential and business customers in Manitoba. The company's suite of products and services include the latest in wireless technology, high-speed Internet, an award-winning IPTV service, voice services, home security, and an extensive range of business solutions. A technology leader, MTS operates advanced wireless networks delivering the best coverage for Manitobans with its 4G, CDMA and Wi-Fi wireless networks and is investing to build out its extensive fibre-to-the-home network in over 20 Manitoba communities. MTS's momentum is fuelled by the knowledge, skills and spirit of its 3,000 Manitoba-based employees. With over 100 years of operations, MTS is rooted firmly in the community and is a proud sponsor of the MTS Centre, home to the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. MTS is wholly owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. which is listed on the TSX (trading symbol: MBT). For information on MTS's products and services, please visit www.mts.ca.About DAREDARE is a brand building agency for the digital world. Our aim is to harness the power of daring ideas to help solve business problems. Daring ideas that are founded on real insights, a platform of innovation and brought to life through outstanding creative. Our mission is simple - create success for our clients by crafting ideas that are noticed, respected, discussed, sought-out, re-tweeted, loved, sometimes hated (but not often), mashed up, sent to mom and are ultimately ripped off. You can find DARE in Vancouver, Toronto, London, New York and thisisdare.comForward-looking Statements Disclaimer This news release includes forward-looking statements and information (collectively, the "statements") about the Company's corporate direction, business opportunities, operations, financial objectives and future financial results and performance that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. As a consequence, actual results in the future may differ materially from any conclusion, forecast or projection in such forward-looking statements. Therefore, forward-looking statements should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Examples of statements that constitute forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "project", "should", "anticipate", "could", "target", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "outlook", "see", "set", "pending", and other similar terms.Factors that could cause anticipated opportunities and actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, matters identified in the "Material assumptions" section below, the "Risks and uncertainties" section, elsewhere in the Company's 2011 Annual MD&A and 2011 Annual Information Form, all of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.Please note that forward-looking statements reflect Management's expectations as at the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.SOURCE: MTS AllstreamFor further information: Media: Chelsea Ross Corporate Communications (204) 958-1848 media.relations@mtsallstream.com

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